Couple completes 300 km bike trip across Siberia
Vyacheslav and Alyona met at a cycling club last year and turned their shared hobby into full-fledged trips. This year, they cycled more than 300 kilometers in five days. Vyacheslav Grechishnikov told our colleagues at NGS.RU about preparing for the adventure and impressions from the trip along the scenic Altai–Kuzbass route.
Meeting at the Cycling Club
Before taking up bicycle touring, 56-year-old Vyacheslav Grechishnikov lived like many: work, car trips with friends, skiing in winter and cycling in summer. He is divorced with two adult children. He met his future companion during one of the outings with the cycling club.
«Alyona and I started attending the cycling club, just rode together, got to know each other,» Vyacheslav said.
Their first joint trip was a short excursion to the Belovsky waterfall (Altai Krai). Alyona suggested getting out of town, and Vyacheslav did not hesitate to make his own adjustments. He added new points to the route, turning an ordinary weekend outing into a real road adventure.
For the couple, the bicycle is not only a mode of travel but also a habitual means of transportation. According to Vyacheslav, it is the ability to move at their own pace and see nature up close that makes such trips especially appealing.
«On a bike you can get to places that by car you either won«t visit or will just drive past and see nothing. When you ride a bicycle, you smell the grass, hear the birds singing, notice things that are invisible from a car. But we also use this transport around town: to work, for errands,» he said.
Altai to Kuzbass
The idea of a big trip came after Alyona learned about the Altai–Kuzbass highway. The route follows the line of an unfinished railway. The project was started in Soviet times, abandoned in the 1990s, and successfully adapted to modern realities in the 2000s: the rails and ties were removed and an asphalt road was laid in their place.
«It has almost no elevation changes, even though it runs through mountainous terrain, and is very scenic: there are high viaducts, hills all around. There are many landmarks, so we became interested in riding along it,» Vyacheslav shared.
Preparation for the trip took several months; they had been planning it since winter. They studied the route in advance, calculated daily distances, and chose overnight spots.
Vyacheslav and Alyona began their journey by electric train. From Srednesibirskaya Station (Altai Krai), they set off on bicycles along the route, turning off the Chuysky Tract onto the Altai–Kuzbass highway.
«We took only the essentials: a tent, a sleeping bag, clothes, a gas canister, a stove, compact dishes, and freeze-dried food. It takes little space and cooks quickly: just boil water and pour it over the contents of the bag, and you get mashed potatoes, porridge, soup, pilaf — there are many freeze-dried meals now. We packed everything necessary. Slippers are a must, and we tie foldable camping chairs on the outside, and so on,» the traveler explained.
On the first day, the pair cycled about 60 kilometers. They stopped in the village of Akulovo (Altai Krai) to replenish water and sweets, then headed to their first overnight spot near the village of Dumchevo (Altai Krai). There, due to gnats, mosquitoes, and horseflies, they had to give up the tent and spend the night in a roadside motel.
On the second day, the route was about 100 kilometers. Along the way, the travelers visited the Peshchersky waterfall (an artificial cascade formed during the construction of the Altai–Kuzbass highway in Zalesovsky District of Altai Krai, located near the northern outskirts of the village of Peshcherka) and a nearby lake. They had to change their second overnight location because locals warned them that a she-bear with a cub was roaming the area.
«In the end, we cycled to the border with Kemerovo Oblast, found a good spot, set up the tent, had dinner at a café, and spent the night,» Vyacheslav recalled.
The travelers moved at a comfortable pace and stopped every 10 kilometers to stretch. The third day turned out to be the richest in landmarks: they saw high viaducts and visited a spring rich in silver at the Church of St. Matrona in the village of Krasnoyarka (Leninsk-Kuznetsky Municipal District, Kemerovo Oblast).
«The roads were very good everywhere. In Kemerovo Oblast, as in Altai Krai, the road maintenance is ideal. We were amazed by the huge number of viaducts — they are everywhere, and some are so high that looking down you see only the tops of tall fir trees. Some were up to 1.5 kilometers long,» the bike traveler recalled.
The same day, the travelers went to Chertov Most (Devil«s Bridge) in the settlement of Gavrilovka (Guryevsky District, Kemerovo Oblast) — an abandoned railway bridge from 1931 that served as an industrial road. It passes through the rocks of the Salair Ridge, and its arches are laid by hand from natural stone. Now it is in a semi-ruined state but remains a popular tourist spot.
In the evening, the travelers reached Salairskiye Plyosy (a modern eco-complex in a pine forest on the shore of the Gavrilovskoye Reservoir, also known as Gavrilovsky Pond). There, the couple found an equipped campsite and stopped for the night. In total that day, the cyclists covered 69 kilometers.
On the fourth day, the route passed through Belovo and Babanakovo, Alyona«s hometowns (62.9 kilometers). The trip ended at her relatives» dacha, from where the next day the pair returned home by electric train. They cycled another 14.7 kilometers to the station.
According to Vyacheslav, during the trip they tried to avoid conflicts — they understood that in camping conditions it is especially important to support each other.
«We«ve been together for over a year, we»ve already gotten used to each other. We didn«t argue on the road: one tent, one sleeping bag. If we quarreled, one of us would have to sleep on a chair outside,» he joked.
After returning home, the bike tourists felt almost no physical fatigue, but the emotional saturation from the trip was intense.
«It took us about a week to recover mentally — we were so full of impressions that it was hard to return to the normal rhythm of life,» Vyacheslav admitted.
Plans for New Trips
Now the couple is already planning a new bike trip: in autumn they want to head again toward Leninsk-Kuznetsky to see abandoned hydroelectric power plants, waterfalls, rapids, and picturesque gorges.
Vyacheslav Grechishnikov admits that earlier he could hardly imagine multi-day bike hikes with a tent and gear, but thanks to the shared hobby with Alyona, they gradually acquired the necessary equipment and experience.
«Don«t be afraid. The main thing is to have riding experience, gradually increase distances, and start with short trips with one overnight. Then comes the understanding that the bicycle opens up many opportunities for travel,» he notes.
The travelers pay special attention to gear. According to Vyacheslav, the main task is to take everything necessary but not overload the bicycles.
«Every extra item is felt on the climbs. So we try to take only what we really cannot do without. By the way, I also eventually bought a bike specifically for travel: lighter, about 10 kilograms. Special bolts are screwed into the frame, fork, and rear of the bike to distribute the load evenly. I bought a special bag for storing things inside the frame, and attached another one to the handlebars. Experience comes, we are accumulating gear,» he said.
Relatives support the couple, friends admire them, acquaintances are surprised, and those they meet on the road envy them in a good way.
«They say it«s impossible to cover such distances by bicycle, that it can only be done by car. And considering the current situation with gasoline, they envy us that we don»t stand in queues at gas stations and in traffic jams,» the bike traveler smiled.
Traveling through Siberia for Vyacheslav and Alyona is not just a sporting achievement but a way to see the country from another perspective: slowly, attentively, and in the company of a loved one with shared interests.
